If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

If you consider that a sub would be essential to a home theater setup anyway, the cost of one should be factored in. Since the Ascend/Hsu combo includes that cost already, and the fact that this setup will most likely devastate the other contenders, the value of it should be obvious!

I fully agree with Mag. Craig's testing criteria has alot more to do than with bass extension and such so I don't understand why some are having a cow that the Ascend/Hsu combo is allowed...then again maybe I do understand. Maybe Craig should set the Ascends to Large and make a note that no sub was used. Or maybe Dave F. can glue the stands to the CMT's for the test and everyone can rest assured that they truly are floorstanders. Any way you look at it the CMT's are gonna shine.

This shootout is exactly what I've been hoping for. Craig dosen't tell us what to buy, he just gives us a good deal more info to work with. I have untill August 31st to take advantage of Dave's special on the 340's with stands so the timing of the shootout is darn near perfect. I hope Craig dosen't extend his vacation.

Curtis managed to help me find this link... Yes, We wanted to make this comparison as fair as possible to any company involved. The basic rules were a system for about $1000. The use of the STF-1 seemed fair because it brought the Ascend system into that price range. The next signifigant step up would be the STF-3 (Having spent time with both, the STF-2 is not a huge step up from the STF-1) ... and would have been $1300 with shipping and stands...

The guys from AV123 were OK with this set up (the 550 Mark II with no sub is $999 ... $899 for returning customers) ... The other two companies stopped talking when I mentioned using a subwoofer with the 340's... draw your own conclusions...[?]

The really interesting part of this test is I spent literally 3-5 minutes listening to each speaker in position, then let them burn in for 50 hours... then started the test. So it is TOTALLY blind to the point I really do not know what either sounds like.